As some of you are no doubt aware, WotC has once again opened the window for article pitches to Dungeon and Dragon. For the first time in my life, I have decided to submit some stuff. As I have been writing about roleplaying games for nearly 5 years now, and with the recent success in this arena of several of my esteemed blog-tribe fresh in my mind, one might think I would be overconfident. One would be crazy wrong.
The Architect DM: On Dungeons
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the iconic “Dungeon” concept that many of us think of when we think of it in the context of Dungeons & Dragons. Also because only a month or two ago Dave wrapped up his 4E run through the Temple of Elemental Evil with custom mechanics to add to the “large dungeon crawl” feel of the adventures. Now I find my own campaign on the verge of the epic tier (the characters are currently level 19/20), and I am beginning to brainstorm a series of elemental dungeons that they will have to go through as a form of the Temple of Elemental Evil now fractured and embodied in five separate temples. Yes, I loved The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and I plan on stealing liberally from it.
The Architect DM: Negative Space in Dungeons
A very important design concept used in Architecture that I would like to discuss today is the concept of negative space. This topic flows naturally from the discussion in last week’s post about the open spaces in an urban setting being defined by the buildings that are placed around it. In addition I have been thinking quite a lot about the topic since seeing the post on Boing Boing about classic style D&D hand-drawn dungeon maps. If you haven’t seen those maps yet, they are indeed very classic but they are also, unfortunately not examples of good dungeon design.
The Architect DM: The Inverse Office Dungeon
I’d like to share an experiment with you, it’s something I’ve done to a minor extent and I believe it might be helpful to other people out there as well. Let’s say you find yourself in the situation where you need to design a dungeon and can’t think of how to do it, whether it’s a spur-of-the-moment situation or you’re just stumped while planning for next week’s game, you need a dungeon and can’t seem to figure out what to do.
How the iPad Changes D&D
If I had to guess, I’d guess that you either already love the iPad or already hate it, and another 2000 words won’t change that. If you hate it, you might want to move on. I don’t think this article will make you any happier. What I do want to focus on are the short-term ways the iPad could potentially change our D&D games. I’m primarily a D&D 4th Edition dungeon master so this article is likely to focus on that as well.
Mailbag 3 – The Pitch
I did my share of pitching to Dragon and Dungeon magazines. I remember how nervous I was. You wonder if you did it right or if some blunder will get you blacklisted. The pitch can be nerve racking, but it shouldn’t be. If you follow the guidelines and contributors’ etiquette, you might not receive a contract on the first pitch, but you are headed in a good direction.
Mailbag 2 – Freelancing 101
I’ve gotten a number of questions about freelancing and writing for D&D Insider. In this issue of the Mailbag, I’ll deal with queries and submissions. I’ll also touch on huge sums of money you can make and the glamorous lifestyle you can lead through successful freelancing. Or maybe I’ll just talk a little about money.
Interview: Matt James, Co-Author of “Monument of the Ancients”
“Monument of the Ancients“ was published in Dungeon #170 and is an adventure set in the Forgotten Realms for 13th level characters. The capsule description is thus: If myth and legend are to be believed, the antediluvian monument defends a region of Faerûn where the boundary between the world of Toril and the Elemental Chaos […]
Announcing the One Page Dungeon Contest
You could win tons of dungeon-related prizes just by coming up with a one page dungeon. Interested? I’ve attached the press release by the contest organizers with all the details. I should also mention that I’m one of the judges, helping to represent the “new school” side of things. So start buttering me up now […]
D&D Insider Now Available for Purchase (and New EULA)
Those of you who want to buy D&D Insider now have your chance to subscribe and get access to Dragon, Dungeon, bonus tools, and the Compendium (which I had more opportunities to work with over the weekend, and discovered a few issues in the content.) I’ll be purchasing mine later on in the evening, partially […]
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